Bank of America Bets Big on XRP ETF as Ripple Goes EU-Wide

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Key takeaways

  • Bank of America disclosed indirect exposure to XRP through shares of the Volatility Shares XRP ETF.
  • XRP price under pressure amid broader market downtrend.
  • Ripple secured an EU-wide EMI license and expanded its institutional offerings through Ripple Prime.

Regulatory filings show BoA keeps roughly 13,000 shares tied to the Volatility Shares XRP ETF, granting it indirect exposure to XRP without the token itself strutting about in the vault.

Size is modest, but the message is loud: a major US bank admitting XRP exposure via an ETF is the sort of politely whispered coup that says digital assets are shuffling through the grown-up corridors of regulated investment rather than being guarded by a dragon with a very loud sneeze.

The disclosure rekindles BoA’s long-running dalliance with Ripple. Since 2019, BoA has dabbled in Ripple-backed pilots for cross-border payments and tinkered with blockchain settlement gear. Whispers now suggest renewed collaboration on stablecoins and payment rails, though BoA remains stubbornly coy about the current extent of use.

Market folks see ETF exposure as a low-friction doorway for institutions chasing price without juggling tokens, regulatory fog, or custody gremlins. In that light, the filing adds to a parade of signals that XRP still has traditional finance’s attention, like a polite cat that occasionally flicks its tail at the bird of crypto.

Ripple’s Global Expansion: The Recent Doings

Separately from BoA’s reveal, Ripple presses on with regulatory and institutional expansion in early 2026.

On February 2, 2026, Ripple received full approval for an electronic money institution license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. The approval allows Ripple to offer regulated payment services across all 27 European Union member states under a single licensing framework, strengthening its position in the European payments market, which is basically a continent-wide guild hall of acceptable transactions and mildly suspicious parchment.

Meanwhile, Ripple Prime announced support for Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives protocol. The move enables institutional clients to access on-chain derivatives liquidity through a unified platform, blending traditional prime brokerage-style services with decentralized market infrastructure. The announcement highlights Ripple’s broader push to serve institutional clients beyond payments alone, as if Ripple decided its toolkit needed a few extra shiny gadgets and a dash of clouds.

XRP Technical Picture Weakens After Market Sell-Off

From a market perspective, XRP has come under pressure alongside the broader crypto sell-off. On the 4-hour chart, price has been trending lower with a series of lower highs and lower lows, a polite way of saying the market has been selling like a wizard’s beard in a rainstorm.

Momentum indicators confirm the weakness. The Relative Strength Index has dropped into the low-30s, signaling near-oversold conditions but not yet showing a clear reversal. This suggests downside momentum remains present, even as short-term relief bounces become more likely, like a soggy sock that refuses to quit the dance.

The MACD remains below the signal line, with negative histogram readings indicating bearish momentum is still dominant. While the rate of decline has slowed slightly, there is no confirmed bullish crossover yet, keeping the near-term bias cautious and the commentators mildly dramatic.

Traders are now watching whether XRP can stabilize above recent support zones or if continued macro and crypto-wide risk-off sentiment pushes prices lower before any meaningful recovery takes shape.

Disclaimer: This is a narrator’s note, not financial advice. Do your own research and talk to a licensed financial advisor before investing.

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2026-02-04 19:36